E 231 
.H95 
Copy 1 



SIEGE 



— OF — 



THE FORT OF ST. JOHNS 



In 1775. 



ir 

Written in French by Lucien Huot, and translated by 
Geo. H. Flint. 



:ililW.mL^^^ yr,!,^;,^^^ House, 
St. Johns, P. Q. ' 



\ 






sip m m t» OF gf . MP 



IN 177S. 







Written in French by Lucien Huot and Translated. Ibrf 
Geo. H. Flint. 



Last year, while digging at the mouth of a little creek vv'hich runs 
through the farm where my family spend the holidays, and in clearing 
the shore of the Richelieu River at the junction of the two streams in 
order to make a dock worthy of the steam yacht " La Mouche," I 
found some very interesting relics at a depth of two or three feet. 
The first was an unexploded iron shell, the wooden stopper still in its 
place. Then I turned up other iron missiles of different sizes, — a 
blunderbuss, bar shot, grape shot, &c., and also a horse shoe and 
stirrup, all in a perfect state of preservation. 

To whom had these things belonged was a natural question. 
Were they left there during the French regime or at a more recent 
date ? The rust which had formed on them and the thickness of the 
soil which had accumulated over them seemed to indicate that many 
years had passed since they had found this resting place. 

Had these missiles been nred by the garrison of the fort while 
practising? Had the stirrup and horse shoe belonged to an officer 
who had lost them while hunting, or to some young man of the time, 
who, returning late on a dark night from a visit to a fair friend, had, on 
arriving at the creek, taken a leap beyond his horse's power and landed 
deep in the mire? Or had this been the scene of one of the battles 
so frequent in ihose early days as the presence of these many articles 
ivould seem to indicate ? 

Although of military descent, my military education is very limited 
and J know but little about materials of war. The position of an army 
many years ago cannot be located definitely by the discovery of cannon 
and musket balls at the present, neither can the age or nationality 
of those who fired them be definitely determined by their shape and 
size, because at one time the French and the English used their enemy's 



mj 



-2.— 



I 

arms whenever they chanced to lay hold of them. The h^rse shoe; 
however, is more within the scope of my scientific knowledge, and II 
confess that it is my opinion it never shod a farm horse. This is easily, 
seen by its lines. Whether the blacksmith who forged it was French, 
English or American, and whatever the century in which he lived, he: 
deserves the credit which is the due of a good workman. 

Since the foundation of the colony, St. Johns has always been^ 
important from a military point of view. Here the French built a fort 
to defend the possession of the Richelieu against attacks by way of 
Lake Champlain, this river at that time forming the route of commu- 
nication between Montreal and the neighboring country, 

THE FIRST FORT. 

According to Garneau, the historian, the first fort was built in 
1665, by order of M. De Tracy, the Governor of the Colony, simul-l 
taneously with that of Chambly and several others. The plan of this 
first fort, a draft of which is in the Parliamentary Library at Ottawa^i 
indicates that it was roomy and elegant in construction, the four 
angles being formed by bastions several storeys high, with pinnacles,; 
which must'have given it a very fine appearance, The trenches whichi 
surround the present military school would therefore date from that 
time — more than two hundred years ago. J 

Although St. Johns was the first outpost erected to guard th^ 
colony of Montreal against an attack from that direction, the historyj 
does not mention that any important fight ever took place under its 
walls during the period of continuous v/ar between the French and 
English. It was the rendez-vous for all the expeditions to Lake Ghann 
plain and Lake George. It was well situated for the purpose. Stand-i 
ing at the head of the Chambly rapids, where the navigation of LakQ 
Champlain, at least for war boats, ended, at a time when the waters o^ 
that lake were constantly furrowed by important naval forces, St. Johns 
formed the south angle of a triangle completed by Chambly and La-i 
prairie, which had to be crossed before the French colony could be^ 
entered and Montreal attacked. (*) ) 

BEFORE AND SINCE THE CONQUEST. 

A military force of more or less importance, therefore, had alwayif 
been stationed in St. Johns up to the time of the conquest. But as nc>| 
important engagement took place during that period it is not probable! 
that the shell and balls found by me could be traced to it. If I anl 
not mistaken target shooting was not as fashionable then as it is toj 
day. The battle fields afforded sufficient practice, and, moreover, th^ 
scarcity of ammunition, especially for the artillery, made it necessarji 
for it to be kept in reserve for an enemy. 

I had, therefore, to come to the conclusion that the missiles Ij 
• had found dated from the siege of the fort of St. Johns by Montgomery; 

(*) At that time the whole sheet of water as far as St. Johns was called th<i 
" Lake." In fact the absence of current In this wide part of our river makes it apj 
pear as if it formed a portion of Lake Champlain. 



in 1775, and that the stirrup must have belonged to a rider of a hundred 
'^ears past. Since that date several generations have followed each 
kher, and the remembiance that i fight took place there has almost 
died out. In the meantime military science has progressed, imple- 
ments of war have been greatly improved, and human beings can now 
be attacked and destroyed with much greater ease and certainty. 
The arms cf that period, not being sufficiently murderous to meet the 
exigencies of the present civilization, have gone out of date, and being 
of no value would have been completely forgotten were not men endow- 
*d with the faculty of memory and did they not profess a very high 
•egard for things which have passed. 

i After the battle of the Plains of Abraham, which gave the pos- 
jiession of Quebec to the English, and during which Wolfe andMont- 
:alm, the commanding generals of the two armies, were slain, the Sieur 
De Roquem.aure, who commanded at St. Johns, had the fort blown up 
and burnt, by order of the Marquis de Vaudreuil, who determined 
that it should not be surrendered to the English army. This took 
place on August 31st, 1760, three days after the Sieur De Bougainville 
•had fled from Isle-aux-Noix, oq the approach of a formidable English 
army. 

No hope now was left to the liille French abandoned army in 
Canada, and the capitulation of Montreal, which soon followed, put 
an end to a conflict which had lasted nearly 200 years. 

During the fifteen years of peace which followed, up to the 
ijAmerican Revolution, the ashes of the Fort of St. Johns v/ere not dis- 
•(••urbed, and it was only in 1775, after the first expedition of the cele- 
brated Colonel Ethan Allen, at the head of his "Green Mountain 
Boys," that General Guy Carleton, the Governor of Canada, decided 
to rebuild the fort. 

In the same year it was besieged by General Montgomery. Thus 
it is now 113 years since this famous siege took place. This expedi- 
tion has been known in this part of the country as '■'■ Invasion des 
Bostonnais" "the Invasion of the Bostonians." 

The citizens of Boston had taken up arms in revolt against Eng- 
land on account of the imposition of certain taxes which they con- 
sidered to be unjust, and this led to the revolution which lost to Eng- 
land half of this continent. 

It was at this time that a young Vermonter, Ethan Allen, from 
the neighborhood of Burlington, with his friend, Seth Warner, took 
command of a company of his fellow citizens. They distmguished 
themselves by their audacity and pluck in several encounters and 
were nicknamed " the Green Mountain heroes" of 1775. The Green 
IMountain Boys were the terror cf the whole neighboring country. (*) 

One of their first exploits was the capture of fort Ticonderoga, 

(•) Green Mountain is the English translation oi Montagne Verte or Vermont 
which is the name i-etained by the State on the other side ot the boundary line. 



-4.- 



v/hich previously had been called Carillon. Allan surprised it durini 
the night at the head of a small party of his men. Their entrance wa 
effected so cleverly that the sentry did not even have time to awakei 
the commanding officer who was made prisoner in his bed. 

After having taken possession of Crown Point, on Lake Cham 
plain, one of their parties led by Arnold, during the month of May 
advanced to Isle-aux-Noix, and on as far as St. Johns, where bu 
twelve men had been left in charge of the stores. He took possessioi 
of the munitions of war including the provisions and also of the gui 
boat " George." Then, following the Laprairie road, he took up j 
position in the bushes of Lacadie to receive in good style the Britisl 
soldiers whom he expected would be sent in pursuit of him. The^ 
not making their appearance, he quietly retired, taking to Lake Cham' 
plain in the gun boats the stores of the Fort, postponing to a morf 
favorable opportunity his contemplated surprise to the inhabitants o 
Montreal. 

It was immediately after this that the Governor, General Gu) 
Carleton, decided to rebuild in a substantial manner the fort of St 
Johns. To this end he sent from Quebec and Three Rivers all the 
troops that were there, under the command of Major Preston, togethei 
with considerable artillery and ammunition. There were also seni 
carpenters and ship builders so that while the fort was being buili 
some gun boats might be under way. One of the latter, the " Royal 
Sauvage," carrying several guns, was sunk in front of the fort during 
the siege, by the floating artillery of Montgomery. 

At low water, now, at the south angle of the fort, can be seen the 
skeleton of a boat, whose strong ribs stand erect almost to the level ol 
the water and are a cause of terror to the rowers of the numerous 
light skiffs which now wrinkle these waters. Might this not be the 
solid frame of the " Royal Sauvage," which has been sleeping there' 
for over a century ? 



IIL 

The United States Congress having entrusted the invasion o^ 
Canada to Generals Schuyler and Montgomery, they selected Crown 
Point as their place of meeting. 

Chevalier DeLorimier, a brave young French Canadian, who ex 
ercised considerable influence over the Indians of the St. Louis Rapids 
(Caughnawaga) had offered his services to the Governor of Canada, 
who employed him as scout, his special duty being to keep him posted 
on the movements of the American army of Lake Champlain. ! 

One evening in the month of August, while DeLorimier was re- 
turning from the lake in a canoe paddled by three Indians, and when 
near the mouth of the Lacolle river three shots were fired at them 
from a boat at the shore. Two of his Indians were wounded, one in 
the neck and the other in the leg. DeLorimier and the unwounded 
Indian replied by firing at the bush in the direction from which thai 



— 5.— 

shots had come and there was no response. Next morning, on return- 
ing to his work, he found the dead body of an American officer lying 
on a bed of leaves at the place from which the attack on the previous 
evening had come. It was the body of Captain Baker who had been 
shot in the forehead. This was the first blood shed in the war between 
the United States and Canada at the opening ot the American revolu- 
tion. 

As may be readily understood, DeLorimier was what is called "a. 
good shot," He had not missed his target this time, and he was not 
in the habit of missing. Vigorous, strong, courageous and brave, he 
was the very man to influence the Indians who recognized in him the 
perfect type of hunter and wood runner. His fine figure and his in- 
telligence together with a little blue blood rendered him one of the 
most distinguished French Canadians of the time. After having been 
advanced several grades during the war of the conquest in v/hich he 
had served his apprenticeship, he went to reside in Lachine with his 
brother Chamilly, and was supporting his old mother and a young 
sister. But the smell of gunpowder made him abandon family and 
everything to fly to the front. 

On the fifth of September Generals Schuyler and Montgomery 
landed an army of nearly 2,000 men at Isle-aux-Noix. The next day 
a division of nearly 1,400 men under the command of General Schuyler 
came further down the stream and landed at the mouth of the little 
river that is no-.y known as the " Bernier," about a mile above the fort 
of St. Johns. 

During the time the enemy were landing and entrenching, DeLo- 
rimier with 90 Indians was keeping a sharp look out after them. He 
was also accompanied by his brother and Captain Tice. When they 
arrived at the little river they could plainly see the Americans on the 
other side. They opened fire and marked several of them, especially 
officers. The Americans, frightened by the shots of an invisible enemy, 
began to run in the direction of their iDoats. Soon, however, they re- 
turned and continued to entrench themselves, being fully determined 
to resist any attack. A few of the Indians swam the creek and rushed 
to the attack, yelling their war cry. They were led by the grand chief 
" Sotsiennouane," Avho was nicknamed the " grenadier." Bearing no 
other arms than a kind of lance and DeLorimier's hunting knife, he 
rushed forth and killed three Americans before falling deadly wounded. 
The Americans, frightened by the sight of such formidable and deter- 
mined warriors, fled to Isle-aux-Noix, leaving their dead on the field. 
** Te Deum " services were off"ered in all the churches of the Province 
in acknowledgement of this successful action. 

This important victory should not be forgotten. The battle field 
should be marked by the erection of a monument upon which the 
heroic names should be engraved and handed down to future ages. 
With all due respect to the memory of Bernier, whose name has been 
given to this river and without disputing his right to the never ending 
gratitude of his countrymen, would it not be more proper that the 



-6.- 



name of this little stream, whose waters were reddened by the blood 
of the brave Indiati chief, and whose shores witnessed a feat of intre- 
pid courage which forms one of the noblest pages in our history, should 
recall one of the heroes of those days. The " Chevalier's " river no 
doubt would be a fitting name to bring to mind the gallant comman- 
der of that small body — Chevalier DeLorimier — but it might be still 
more appropriate to give it the name of " Grenadier" river in memory 
of the grand old chief of Caughnawaga who with an ordinary hunting 
knife rushed upon a little army and had time to kill three of their 
number, armed to the teeth, and to attack the fourth before falling. 

In any case the old name " Montgomery Creek," would be better 
than the name it now bears, which name is immortalized already by a 
line of farms which these famous pioneers, the Berniers, have settled, 
and which they have made one of the richest plots of land in th"^ 
neighborhood. 



I 



IV. 

General Schuyler, disgusted by such a misadventure as that re- 
lated in the last chapter, feigning ill-health, retired to Ticonderoga 
and left the command of the army to General Montgomery. The 
latter was a distinguished officer and had the advantage of knowing 
the country well. Of Irish origin, he had joined the British army at the 
age of fifteen, andat twenty-one, being then a cantain, he had witnessed 
Wolfe's death on the Plains of Abraham. At the period of the nar- 
rative, when he undertook to besiege Quebec again and to reconquer 
Canada, he was but thirty-seven. During the interval he had left the 
British army and settled in the United States, where he married a 
young lady of noble character and of good family, the daughter of 
judge Livingstone, of New \ ork, and retired on a farm on the Hudson. 
He was here when, called by the new country of his adoption, he bade 
farewell to his young wife in the memorable words : " You will never 
have to blush for your Montgomery, adieu," and he kept his word. 

The intrepid bravery he exhibited in forcing the artillery of the 
Quebec Citadel, on the following 31st December, was but an indica- 
tion of his character. At the head of a small party of picked men, he 
was the first to be mowed down, a victim 10 his daring. His poor 
widow, who for forty years wore mourning in his memory, never indeed 
had to blush for him. She put aside that grand mourning attire, only 
on the eve of the day that the remains oi her beloved " soldier," as 
;.he called him, were borne in triumph in front of that same residence 
on the Hudson forty years after the sad leave-taking with his beloved 
wife. Taken from Quebec, where they had been buried, after having 
been found under ihe snow on New Year's day, 1776, these glorious 
remains, in 1818, were carried in triumph on a steamer which had been 
chartered for the purpose by Mayor Dewitt Clinton, and deposited in 
the porch of St. Paul's Church, Broadway, New York; where a monu- 
ment, that had been brought from Paris, was ready to receive them. 



'1 



To-day, notwithstanding the protection of the porch of the church, the 
fine marbles of that artistic monument are darkened ; but still more 
than one passing by on that busy street stop to admire it, and Mont- 
gomery is one of the best known names in American history. 

On the 17th of September, after General Schuyler's departure, 
Montgomery again advanced to St. Johns in boats, and effected a 
landing at the mouth of the Little Bernier river, the same place where 
they had been repulsed a fortnight before. The main body of the 
army was barricaded at this place whilst a battalion under command 
of Major Brown was sent on to encamp on the north side of the fort, 
on what was at that time called the " big point," about a mile down 
the river. Sentries were posted along the edge of the forest at Cotcau 
des Metres (beech hillock) and a battery placed on the east side of the 
river. Thus the fort was entirely surrounded and the only possible 
way for the garrison to communicate with Montreal or Chambly was 
by the river. 

The garrison was composed of a portion of the " Royal Fusiliers " 
or 7th regiment, and also of the 26th regiment, in all 500 men, under 
command of Major Preston. There were besides 120 French Cana- 
dian volunteers headed by Mr. DeLongueuil who had come to their 
aid. 

Fifteen years had passed since the conquest, and during these 
fifteen years all government offices as well as military charges had 
passed into the hands of the British bureaucracy, without an excep- 
tion. It was under these circumstances, while no personal considera- 
tion nor national sentiment could influence them, that 120 French 
Canadians the pick of the nobility, professional men and merchants 
of Montreal, were the first to come forward to defend their new gov- 
ernment, whilst the English colonists themselves were inclined to favor 
the rebels, their friends of Boston and New Yo-\, who had their sym- 
pathies and to whom they gave assistance openly on several occasions. 

On the first sign of danger the French Canadians of Montreal 
held meetings, consulted with each other, listened to the reading of 
pressing invitations sent to them by the American Government, the 
congress and by General Washington. Whilst the English popula- 
tion was favoring the movements of the enemy our ancestors of French 
origin, remembered that they had sworn their faith and loyalty to the 
British king, their new master, and laying aside their national feeling 
in presence of their duty, they did not hesitate to offer their services 
to General Guy Carleton, then Governor of Canada, who accepted 
them as volunteers. 

This handful of volunteers without commission or rank, com- 
manded by the Baron de Longueuil, comprised amongst others De 
Belestre, De Lotbiniere, De Boucherville, St. Luc De Lacorne, Che- 
valier De la Bruere, De St. Ours, De Montigny, D'Eschambault, De 
la Magdelaine, De Montesson, De Rigaudville, De Salaberry, De Ton- 
nancourt, De Florimont, Jucherau Duchesnay, Perthuis, Hervieux, 
Gaucher, Giasson, Campion Beaulieu, Des Aulniers, Lamarque, De 



-8.- 



MusseaLi, Foucher, Marquis, the two De Lorimiers, Monnier, De La- 
valtrie, De Lamoraudiere, Beaulieu, Des Ruisseaux, Tessier, Aiitoine 
Dupre, De Richerville, Leduc, Rainville, Chenier, De Bellefeuille, &c. 

The fortress of St. Johns, as the Americans called it, was con- 
structed of two forts, running parallel to each other and surrounded 
by trenches which still remain. It was Vv'ell supplied with cannon and 
ammunition, but not sufhcifntly provisioried to sustain a long siege. 

The Canadians, on the appearance of the enemy, made a sortie 
and offered light without much result. Several of them were killed, 
among others Des Aulniers and Perthuis ; De LaBruere had both 
arras shot, and St. Luc de Lacorne died from wounds received during 
the siege. They captured a few prisoners, among whom was Captain 
Hazen, a retired officer v/ho had resided on the Iberville side and who 
had previously joined the American army. 

Chevalier De Lorimier twice succeeded in leaving the fort in 
order to procure assistance from the Governor to relieve the garrison. 
It was easy enough for him to leave but very difticult to return. Once 
in the night he got back into the fort by imitating the jumps and bleat- 
ing of a deer, and did it so naturally, as he himself relates, that he 
heard the sentries remark, as he passed through them, " there goes a 
deer." The Americans having heard from the Indians hovv^ he got 
back into the fort swore they would take him if he made another at- 
tempt. In this, however, they v/ere equally unsuccessful, for shortly 
afterwards he did make another attempt in which he was successful, 
and by the vigor of his i^gs and rapidity of his running outstripped 
the different parties placed in the woods for the purpose of surround- 
ing him. Captain Brown, who commanded at Laprairie, sent a com- 
pany specially for the purpose of securing him, but on their reaching 
Caughnavaga he jumped into a canoe, crossed over to Lachine in 
sight of them, escaped the balls and shot whizzing on every side of 
him, and on arriving at Lachine bid them good-bye. 



V. 

Meanwhile the AiTiericans occupied all the neighboring country, 
including the forts of Laprairie and Longueuil. Colonel Ethan Allan 
at the head of his " Green Mountain Boys," had at the beginning 
joined the army under Montgomery, but finding the siege too slow a 
business for him, he visited the country, and, aided by some English 
people such as Hazen, of Iberville, and the Livingstons of Chambly, 
he gained the confidence of a certain number of French Canadians 
and formed a camp at Point Olivier, opposite Chambly. On Sunday, 
the twenty-fourth of September, he crossed over from Boucherville to 
Longue Point, and while making preparations to raid Montreal, he 
v/as surprised and made prisoner at Mijon's creek, now Maisonneuve. 
On the eighteenth of October, Major Stopford, who commanded at 
Chambly, surrendered that fort to Major Brown, who made him and 
his command prisoners of war. Stopford made no effort to defend the 



-9.— 



fort, he did not even fire a cannon. The garrison only comprised 
about one hundred men, but the quantity of arms, ammunition and 
provisions of all sorts kept in reserve in the place was considerable ; 
besides that it also contained the colors of the two regim.ents, which 
were so gallantly engaged in defending the fort of St. Johns. The 
men were sent to Boston as prisoners of war, the flags were sent to the 
congress, the women and children, numbering in all seventy, were set 
free, and the arms and ammunition were brought to the camp at St. 
Johns. These supplies were of great service to the beseigers as nearly 
all Montgomery's supplies were exhausted. 

Meanwhile Gen. Guy Carleton, although urgently requested by 
the inhabitants of Montreal, where he was stationed, and urged by the 
volunteers from the country who came to assist him, did not make an 
effort to fight his way to St. Johns or to come to the rescue of the be- 
seiged. Chenier and Leduc had succeeded in leaving the fort to bring 
him news. Richerville and the other Leduc had also found their way 
out and brought letters from Major Preston. At length, on the twenty- 
seventh of October, the Governor seemed to make an effort to cross over 
to Longueuil from St. Helen's Island, which he had fortified. He was, 
however, compelled to retire without securing any advantage. 

The two De Lorimiers at the head of a party of Indians, and ac- 
companied by the Canadian volunteers, while moving to the front, and 
braving the fire of the shore, had also to retire in consequence of the 
regulars not coming to their support. 

Discouraged, short of victuals, crushed by the number of the 
enemy, and having stood a fire always increasing in intensity since 
the surrender of Chambly, the gallant garrison of St. Johns decided at 
last to accept the terms of capitulation offered by Montgomery, and 
laid down their arms on the third of November, at ten o'clock in the 
morning. (*) The ofiicers were granted the privilege only accorded 
to the brave, to keep their swords, but all without exception were 
immediately sent to Boston as prisonners of war. 

During the siege the French Canadian volunteers distinguished 
themselves by their bravery and endurance, though the historians 
neglected to record their appreciation of those defenders of St. Johns 
at its true value. They were the first to fight, and indeed the only 
ones who were killed outside the walls in oftering an open fight to the 



(*) It seems from Horace Wal pole's journal that the news of the capitulation 
of the fortress of St. Johns produced the greatest oxcitemenl in England, and 
threw the ministers (excepting only Lord North) into the greatest consternation. 
He says : " On the 28th December, accounts came that Carleton had deserted Mon- 
treal, whicli the Provincials took, and had shut himself up in Quebec, having but 
700 men, all they had kept for the guard of the whole Province, and the Canadians, 
■whom he could not trust ; for the Canadians, in spite of the restoration of their* 
religion, leaned towards the Provinces." 

We have already shown that this view of the position of the Canadians, as 
he calls them as far as they apply to French-Canadians, was not the correct one. 
With but few exceptions, when left alone and given their own leaders, they stood 
side by side with the regular English forces in defence of their country, and if they 
had been aided by General Carleton, Montgomery would have been compalled to 
have raised the siege of St. Johns.— [G. F. 



-10. 



enemy. Faithful to the last our ancestors did not spare their lives in 
defence of their country. 

This heroism and generosity on their part, contributed much more 
than has generally been acknowledged, to preserve Canada to the 
British Crown. Without them St. Johns would probably have sur- 
rendered as Chambly and Montreal did without fighting. If Mont- 
gomery, instead of spending two months in the then unhealthy marshes 
of St. Johns, had immediately and early in the season reached Quebec 
with a fresh army after taking possession of the country, the fate of 
the colony might have been far different from what it has been. 

Since then, many a time our fellow countrymen, who have dis- 
played equal courage in upholding the British flag, both politicall}' and 
socially, have been accused of Anglomania, a reproach unjust and un- 
called for. As well might they find fault with the noble heroes who, 
first at St. Johns and the Cedres and then at Chateauguay, traced for 
us, with their swords, the path of duty and honor. 

This siege had lasted forty-five days, and to form an idea of the 
vigor of the enemy's fire it will be sufficient to mention that on the 
first of November, Gen. Wooster, whom the Congress had sent to help 
Montgomery, having established a battery of four cannons and six 
mortars in a bulwark (redoute) built on the north-west side of the fort, 
at a distance of 250 yards, the Bostonians fired during that day 840 
cannon shots besides 120 bomb shells. These relics of past warfare 
are still found almost in every direction. Colonel d'Orsonnens, in 
making a garden within the old lines of the fort, found several of 
them, and the old farmers of St. Johns remember having found some 
on the farms in the neighborhood. 

I have found them myself at a distance of from 300 to 400 yards 
from the fort, but these probably were fired from the fort, not at it, as 
it is not probable that the enemy would miss the target so widely, 
unless these missiles could possibly have been shot by the American 
gun boats which were anchored some distance on the river and formed 
the floating battery of the south. The official report describes the 
finding in the fort of 20 brass pieces of artillery of which two were 24 
pounders, one twelve pounder, four six pounders, two four pounders, 
eight three pounders, and two eight inch howitzers. Also 6 iron guns 
nine pounders, i eight pounder, 11 six pounders, i five pounder, i 
four pounder, 2 three pounders besides three 55^ inch mortars and 



four 4 2-5 inch. 



VI. 



4 At that date this part of the country was far from being settled to 
any extent. In fact these endless wars rendered the neighborhood 
of a fort a place of very little security for the settlers. There were 
some few houses near the river on each side, although very little can 
be found in the documents of the time to trace them now. There 
must have been a few between St. Johns and Isle-aux-Noix, as Per- 



—11. 



thuis was killed and De Labruere had both his arms broken in defend- 
ing one of them, six miles above St. Johns at the first " grand point" 
now called " Point a la Mule." (i) 

The Captain Hazen above mentioned had his residence on the 
east side of the river nearly opposite the fort, and he had farms on the 
west side on the road from St. Johns to Chambly near the Savanna. 
On the evening that De Lorimier left the fort for Montreal, having 
Captain Hazen in charge, who had been taken prisoner in the enemy's 
camp, they, in the darkness of the night, got lost in the woods, and 
in the morning being near the Savanna (now St. Luke), Captain Hazen 
directed De Lorimier to the house of one of his farmers situated near 
the river where they got some food. It was that same Captain Hazen 
who was afterwards Governor of Montreal during a part of the follow- 
ing winter while Montgomery was besieging Quebec. He must there- 
fore have been let free in the meantime, or have made his escape 
from his captors. 

In locating as nearly as possible persons and properties that 
then existed, there will always be more or less difficulty, especially in 
a new country as this country then was. For instance it has been 
contended that Captain Hazen's residence was situated where the 
McGinnis or Whitfields now live, on the property formerly owned by 
General Christie ; and this at first sight seems plausible since the 
pretty little river which divides these two properties is called Hazen 
river and the bridge which spans it is called Haze?i bridge. Later on, 
however, a tanner named Hazen had his tannery on that river, and 
the probability is that the river was named after him instead of the 
Governor of that name. 

It seems from a claim made to the Government by the widow 
Babuty that barns belonging to the Babuty (2) family had been de- 
stroyed during the siege to prevent the enemy securing shelter behind 
them. The stone house which has since been used as a powder maga- 
zine, was then the residence of the Babutys. It is mentioned in a 
council of v/ar held by Montgomery, who intended to establish a bat- 
ter} at a distance of 400 yards on the north side of the south fort, and 
in the direction of that stone house. The little plan which was fyled 
with the Babuty's claim shows that the powder magazine was then in 
another place inside of the fort. It is also said in that claim that the 
Babuty residence was only 60 yards from the fort, and the farm upon 
which it was built was six acres wide on the river by a depth of 30 
acres ; and bounded on the south side by the trench of the fort, which 
formed the line of division. The trench which now surrounds this 
house, called the powder magazine, did not exist at that time. The 
ground upon which this house is built did not belong to the govern- 

(1) That place was also called " lo dStroit," the narrows, no doubt on account 
of the narrowness of the river in that place. 

(2) Babuty or Baberty, the copy made by Rev. Mr. Verreau of the original 
claim reads Babuty, whilst the local deeds since drawn read Baberty. I tried but 
without success to find this document in the archives at Ottawa. It seems to have 

been lo&t. 



-12.— 



ment, and it is only later that it must have been acquired. 

The St. Johns fortress, as the American ofiicers called it in their 
correspondence, appeared to be then composed of two forts defended 
all round by a pallisade of posts and a trench fall of water, which had 
to be crossed by a "■ pont levis," flying bridge, the nature of which 
can be surmised from the relics of the old one at Isle-aux-Noix. 

The south fort was built at the place where is now built the mili- 
tary school, while the other, the northern fort, was inside the bulwarks 
now deserted, which are situated on the north-west side of the railway 
to Rouse's Point. There was a communication between the two by 
means of a deep trench, which is still visible. No where can we find 
the mention of a church, nor village, nor parish of St. Johns, although 
the parishes of Chambly are often mentioned. I am therefore inclined 
to believe there was no village then. 

Shortly after, however, a small group of houses was built on the 
present site of Richelieu street. In 1812 it was known under the 
name of " La Roquerie," probably a corruption of " Ropery," which 
once had been established there. Some clearings had been made 
around the fort also at Coteau des Metres, Beach hillock, now St. 
Luke. Outside of that the forest extended as far as Laprairie with- 
out interruption. 

As already mentioned Montgomery's army formed two camps. 
The main body had remained at the little river Bernier, a mile above 
the fort, where he had it entrenched and protected. To avoid sur- 
prise the camp had been formed beyond that river, which formed a 
natural trench, to protect the works which were probably built of logs. 
No earthworks of any importance were made, as no trace of them can 
now be found, neither on the Pinsonnault nor the Bourgeois farm, 
nor in the neighborhood. 

The square excavation which is to be seen near the river on the 
Towner farm is the remains of an old brick yard; and as to the earth 
work vv^hich follows the little river on this side, and which resembles 
a military work as seen from the present main road, the farmers state 
that it was built more recently to prevent the flooding of that river. 

That portion of the Pinsonnault farm which was cleared by old 
Mr. L'Ecuyer, upon which took place the first fight between the Can- 
adians and the Bostonians, in which De Lorimier with his ninety men 
routed 1400 regulars, headed by two generals, should be for us the 
citizens of St. Johns an object of special attention. 

There is at this place a mineral spring, highly recommended for 
its medicinal properties by the physicians who tested it. This spring 
was first discovered by the deer of the forest. A deep track leading 
to it had been made by them in constantly passing to and fro for the 
purpose of drinking its cool and slightly salted water. 

This would be a pretty situation for a kiosque, and a company 
could no doubt secure the privilege by a lease under moderate con- 
ditions from the proprietor. It would be quite an attraction for the 



-la- 



locality, and at the same time would be a memento of the spot where 
the brave " Grenadier " fell. 



VII. 

The second camp of the Americans v/as at the big point a mile 
below the fort. 

That is the point from which is obtained an uninterrupted view 
of the river as far as St. Therese island and which is now adorned 
with the cosy villa of our friend Judge Chagnon, and which for two 
months v/as occupied by the American camp. The bridge over the 
creek, which empties into the bay behind, had been cut in order to 
interrupt communication by the road from Chambly and Laprairie, 
and also to prevent a surprise on that side. 

At that time the Laprairie road joined the Chambly road at this 
bridge. After the farms were sold, this part of the old road between 
the river and the Beach hillock was abolished, and replaced by the 
present one. 

The soil on which the camp was placed was heavy clay, and as 
at that season of the year, a great deal of rain fell, the soldiers in their 
letters to their friends complained a good deal about its unhealthiness. 
In spite of the mud, however, and of the sickness, the troops managed 
to enjoy themselves much better in this, than in the General's camp. 
Several cart-loads of rum and provisions, forwarded from Chambly, 
and intended for the fort, were seized and the men having nothing to 
do, spent their time in singing songs and joking, while at the same 
time indulging in prospect of future victory which was however very 
slow to come. 

If the ghosts of those soldiers who fell victims of their thirst for 
independence, and whose bones have been since quietly resting in 
the neighborhood should ever take a notion to visit the site of their 
old camp they would find that cheerfulness still characterizes the old 
camp ground, and that singing and music can sometimes be heard by 
new generations of people from both countries, now no more enemies, 
on this historic spot. 

When passing that point, and the eye takes in the calm picture, 
formed by the silvery surface of the river, above which the sparrows 
constantly play in summer, liave you never noticed that the curtain 
which is formed by the shade of the old willows and evergreen trees 
in the back ground, is one of gloom and sadness ? Why is this spot, 
which is certainly the prettiest and the most picturesque in this loca- 
lity, so deserted ? Here are elegant sites suitable for pretty resi- 
dences, and if a street were opened, which would only be the con- 
tinuation of one already existing, the distance from the tov/n would 
be very short. 

Some sweet genius must have protected these grounds against 
modern diggings, in order that the bones which sleep there in peace 
might not be troubled. A good many soldiers of the camp of Major 



—14.— 



Brov/n, later of General Wooster, died, and I would not be surprised 
if the old willows should cover their graves with their shadows. In 
any case the cemetery of that camp must have been but a short dis- 
tance, although nothing now remains to indicate its exact situation. 

The soldiers defending the fort, who fell during the siege were 
buried inside its walls. It is not impossible, however, that the mili- 
tary cemetery which now lies outside in the government field, on the 
south side of the fort, dates from that time. If so, it would then con- 
tain the remains of our brave defenders, though no inscription to that 
effect has been discovered. In the documents of that time I found 
nothing which indicates the place of burial, or any reference to it. 

With the exception of that little cemetery, very much forgotten 
and abandoned, everything else has been levelled. That famous 
battery which was placed by General Wooster on a piece of rising 
ground on the north west side o[ the fort, and distant from it 250 
yards, was on the lots now occupied by the residences of Messrs. 
Walmsley, Coote and Wilkinson, and Mrs. McDonald. There was 
at that place a sand hill which has since been removed. The earth 
works of that battery have also disappeared, having been removed 
when the railroads where cut through them, and the ground levelled 
to make the present G. T. R. yard. 

The position of the battery on the eastern side of the river is not 
easily found, although at low water it is still possible to locate it. It 
was built and sheltered by earth works in the usual way. At that 
time the river was a little narrower than it is to-day, Franquet, the 
French Government engineer, in 1752 estimated its width opposite 
the fort at 120 toises, 

A block house and wooden bulwarks were also built on the 
sam.e spot which soon rotted away, but since that time the level of 
the river rising, isolated that place from the shore during the greater 
part of the year, and made of it a little island which became known 
as the " blagousse," a corruption of the word block-house. It was 
taken possession of by the young people of the place for bathing, 
fishing and picknicking purposes. Hon. Felix Marchand still re- 
members being one of the bathers at the "blagousse" when he was 
young. Mr. Walmsley also remembers having cast the fly at the same 
place. Little by little, however, the water encroached on the spot, so 
that the bathers and fishers had to seek other places for their purpose, 
and the little island has now been reduced to a modest shoal, hardly 
noticeable at low water mark. 

There exists in St. Johns a particular relic of Montgomery. A 
snuffbox which belonged to him is now owned by his namesake, our 
fellow-citizen, Mr. R. C. Montgomerie. After the death of the General 
this relic was given by his father to an ancestor of Mr. Montgomerie ; 
these two families, though not related, being on terms of friendship. 
An old inscription recalls the name oif the first owner of the precious 
relic. The family of the General and the family of our Mr. Montgo- 
merie's ancestors were' then living in England and it is one hundred 



-15.— 



years after that this valuable talisman found its way to this historical 
ground, and influenced its present owner to settle amongst us. 

We have seen that the young General had decided to resume his 
military career In America. It was here at the siege of the fort of St. 
Johns that he re-opened it, in taking the command in chief of that 
expedition in 1775, amidst numberless embarrassments, caused by the 
want of discipline of the officers and recruits of whom he had been 
given the command. 

"The sword of Montgomery," which is carefully preserved in 
Quebec, contributed the title which Mr. LeMoine has given to a very 
interesting study. 



VIII. 



The first inhabitants of St. Johns were English-speaking people, 
military men who received land grants, or who, after service in the 
garrison of the fort, settled on the lands around it. 

Most of these families have now disappeared. The Walmsley, 
Pierce, and Mott families still remain. The McDonalds, Whites, 
Charltons, Lavicounts, Cootes, Smiths, Futvoyes, and others came 
later, about the time the French Canadians began to settle here. The 
McCumming family, whose name was first given to Champlain street, 
has also disappeared, as well as others of that period. 

The oldest French Canadian families are the Marchands, Fre- 
chettes, Bourgeois, and Dubois. It was Mr. Gabriel Marchand, 
father of Hon. Felix Marchand, the present local member of Parlia- 
ment for St. Johns county and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of 
Quebec, who founded, in 1802, the first business house of any im- 
portance in this town. It was situated on the present site of The 
News printing establishment. Mr. Marchand was a Quebecker, and 
allied hy marriage to the McNider family, rich lumber merchants of 
that place. He made, in company with the latter, large cuttings of 
lumber in the direction of Lake Champlain, and among his plucky 
captains was Mr. Charland, the grandfather of the Judge. Mr. Mar- 
chand's brother and partner, Mr. Francis Marchand, was the grand- 
father of the present Mr. Henri Marchand, prothonotary. A third 
brother, Mr. Louis Marchand, was the ancestor of the family bearing 
the same christian name. Mr. Gabriel Marchand long lived bearing 
the esteem, respect and confidence of his fellow citizens. He was 
Lt.-Colonel of the Kent regiment, and made his mark by his integrity 
and intelligence. From the same period date Messrs. Edouard and 
Ambroise Bourgeois. The latter was the father of Mrs. Jobson, the 
late Mrs. Paradis, and Mrs. W. Marchand. 

Messrs. Francois Langelier and Henry Larocque may also be 
counted among the pioneer merchants of St. Johns, and although ar- 
riving much later, they succeeded, by their activity and spirit, in giv- 
ing a strong impulse to the advancement of this new town, of which 
they were both elected mayors for several consecutive years. 



—16.— 



It was in 1818 that the first Episcopal Church v/as built, and in 
1828 the Catholic Church was erected. 

In speaking of old families we recall a very singular episode, or 
more correctly a very romantic story or legend, which is to be found 
in the memoirs of that time, and of which lieutenant Jones, of Bur- 
goyne's army, was the hero. 

In 1777, two years after the siege of St. Johns, the brilliant Gen- 
eral Burgoyne, who had command of the Lake Champlain expedition, 
was advancing on Ticonderoga, whose garrison took flight at the news 
of his approach, and whose inhabi'ants also took refuge in the country 
to hide themselves from the invading force. Among them was the 
McCrea family. A daughter, the pretty Jenny, was betrothed to 
lieutenant Jones before mentioned. Instead of hiding with the rest, 
Jenny rejoiced at the approach of the army in the hope of seeing her 
betrothed, while the heart of the latter was filled with anguish at the 
thought that his beloved Jenny, by the fortune of war, was to be found 
amongst the people he had been sent 10 invade. Some Indians, sent 
ahead of the army as scouts, met two women on the road, one of 
whom was Jenny. Always cruel, they did not hesitate an instant to 
kill the two women and to scalp them. Jones, anxious and struck by 
a sad presentiment, darted forward to them, when he at once discov- 
ered the fair and beautiful curls of his bride, hanging from the bloody 
belt of one of the barbarians. He immediately rushed on the Indian 
with such fury that at the first blow he stretched him dead at his feet; 
then snatching the scalp he ran away with that sad relic of his beauti- 
ful Jenny, who was the dearest to him of all in the world. 

With death in his heart, and being refused permission to leave 
the army, he deserted, and took refuge in a house on the shores of 
the Richelieu river, when he devoted the rest of his life to the worship 
of the fair curls of his unfortunate bride. Each following year, the 
anniversary of the scalping vv'as for him the renewal of deep mourning 
which lasted for fifteen days. During that time he locked himself in 
his room, refusing even to meet any friend or any member of his 
family. 

At his death, which was premature, the scalp of Jenny McCrea 
was laid beside him in his grave. (*) 

(*) This cirpiimstanee was mentioned by the celebrated Edward Burke in the 
British House of Commons during his great speech on Fyb. R, 1778, and made a very 
gre-at iniDression on the Hou^e, so mucli so thatXrovernor Johnston, who was pres- 
ent, stated that if the public had been permitted to hear it as it was delivered, it 
■would have produced such an excitement as would have caused the ministers of 
the day to be torn to pieces. Horaci> Walpole, in his memoirs, tlius speaks of it : 
" The 6th was memorable for the chef d'ocuvre nt Burke's orations He called 
Burgoyne's talk with the Indians ' th^ Rubliraity of bombastic absurdity,' in which 
he demanded the assistance of seventeen Indian nations by considerations of our 
holy religion, by regard for our constitution ; and though he enjoined tliem not to 
scalp men, women or children alive, he promised to pay them for any scalps of the 
dead ; but, added Burke, the invitation was just as if at a riot on Tower Hill,— the 
keeper of the wild beasts had turaed them looi^e with this advice: My gentle lions, 
iny sentimental wolves, my tender-hearted hyenas, go forth, but lake care not to 
hurt men, women or children. He tlien grew serious, and as the former part had 
excited the warmest and most continued bursts of laughter even from LordNorth, 
Rigby, and the ministers themselves, so he drew such a pathetic picture of the 
erutlty of the King's army, particularly in the case of a young woman whose ran- 



—17.— 

This faithful lieutenant was probably a member of one of those 
families of the same name which still reside in the locality. If not a 
member of the Jones family that owns the bridge connecting Iberville 
with St. Johns, possibly then a member of that other family of Jones 
living in Sabrevois. 

We could scarcely realize to-day, when visiting the pretty towns 
of Vermont, and admiring the long floating hair, carelessly worn by 
the young American girls, that hardly a hundred years ago, more than 
one equally beautiful and attractive were scalped for the sake of their 
hair, while others were taken prisoners to be sold like slaves. 

Those expeditions which had for their object the destruction of 
the villages on both sides of the frontier, were often made the excuse 
of all sorts of atrocities, the Indians who accompanied the marauders 
often bursting from all restraint and acting in the most barbaious 
manner. 

It is reported that in 1677 two ladies of good society from the 
village of Hartford — Mrs. Wait and Mrs. Jennings — were captured by 
Indians who brought them to Chambly and swapped them for some 
rum. It was only in the following winter that their husbands suc- 
ceeded in tracing them and obtained their liberty for the ransom of 
£200. 

These facts show conclusively the immense improvement v/hich 
this part of the country has undergone since that period. 

The town of St. Johns, in spite of the immense drawback caused 
by the fire of 1876, has within a period of a little over fifty years, 
grown to be a town of much importance, and there is no reason why 
the progress of the next fifty years will not compare favorably with 
that of the first half of the century. This town, now that it has ceased 
to be an outpost of military strategy, occupies a most favorable situ- 
ation for trade and commerce with our neighbors of the United States. 
The most friendly feeling exists between the people of the two coun- 
tries, and instead of war and bloodshed, which characterized its ear- 
lier history, there is a constant display of kindliness and mutual res- 
pect, and it is to be hoped that such scenes of animosity and strife 
which we have faintly but faithfully endeavored to describe have 
jjassed away forever. 

The only reminiscence of a military character which still has a 
place in St. Johns is the well-conducted military school which has 
taken the place of the fortress. Beautiful lawns and flower gardens 
now occupy the place formerly occupied by masked batteries and glit- 
tering bayonets, and, thanks to the improved civilization of the nine- 
teenth century, we can quietly rusticate outside of its walls without 
danger of being scalped. We can also find our way inside of the 
fortress without fear of being taken prisoner. 

The proverbial hospitality of the Commandant and Madame 
d'Orsonnens, and the courtesy of the officers, make the visitors forget 

som (not beauty) they quarreled over and murdered her, that he drew iron tears 
down Barre's cheek, who implored him. to print his speecb, and said, witli many 
invectives against the Bishops, that it ought to be pasted In every church under 
their proclamation for the fast, and that he himself would paste it upon some." 



—18.— 

that these are military quarters ; or if we do not forget the purpose 
for which the school is established, we are deeply indebted to them 
for the efforts which are made to enliven the place and to add to its 
enjoyment. An open-air band concert every Thursday evening in 
summer brings crowds of listeners in boats silently gliding on the 
river, and reminding us in some small degree of Venetian scenes. 
With all the attractions and advantages, therefore, which St. Johns 
possesses; we can form but a very faint idea of what it may yet be- 
come ; and while in the last century such great advances have been 
made, may we not anticipate that (in constquence of the accelerated 
progress which is now being made in every depariment of human en- 
terprise and skill) a far more rapid proi)ortionate advance may char- 
acterize its history during the next hundred years to come. 

The present civic administration under the presidency of Mayor 
McDonald seems to encourage energetic action in the way of public 
improvements, and if the citizens would second these efforts, and 
take advantage of circumstances, there is no doubt whatever that St. 
Johns would become not only an important town in a business point 
of view, but also a centre of attraction equal, if not superior, to any 
of the charming American towns which border on Lake Champlain. 



After writing the foregoing, I discovered that I had made an 
error which it is important that I should rectify. 

Contrary to what is stated in Garneau's history, the first fort of 
St. Johns was not built in 1665, but in 1748 by order of M. De La 
Galissonniere, at the time Governor of Canada, and under the direc- 
tion of Sieur De Lery, jr., engineer of the works. 

It was the fort of St. Therese which was built in 1665, and in the 
same year the forts of Chambly and Sorel. 

This fort of St. Therese was at the head of St. Therese rapids, 
about three leagues above Chambly and about one league below St. 
Johns. This fort was demolished in 1747 and the materials used in 
building the fort of St. Johns, which was placed at the head of the 
St. Johns rapids. 

Tiie road from Laprairie to St. Johns was then constructed and 
by it the distance between Montreal and Lake Champlain was con- 
siderably shortened and the portages of the rapids of Chambly, Saint 
Therese and St. Johns avoided. I am indebted for these new 
details to Rev. Mr. Verreau, who obligingly pointed out to me in his 
rich library, the " Historical Documents of the State of New York," 
published by E. B. O'Callaghan at Albany in 1858. In that publica- 
tion there is a report of Mr. De LaGallissonniere and Intendent Bigot 
on the construction of the fort. It is stated in that report that the 
total cost of construction was fifty thousand francs, although each load 
of earth only cost a penny, " two sous." 

It was in the month of August 1852 that the French Government 



—19.— 

engineer, Franquet, visited this fort then under the command of M. 
D'Artigny. 

Those who take an interest in the history of our country stand 
very much indebted to the Rev. M. Verreau for the information he is 
enabled to impart. It is from his work, " Invasion du Canada," that 
I have gathered the details cf this narrative of the siege of the fort of 
St. Johns, and with his permission I have copied from that work the 
journal kept by Foucher, one of the volunteers defending the fort. 

This journal, inserted in " Sanguinet's " manuscript without ac- 
knowledgement of the writer, leaves some doubt as to its origin. 

However, it seems well established that " Foucher," a notary of 
Montreal and one of the volunteers defending the fort, kept during 
the siege a journal of the principal events connected with it. 

As there is no other manuscript in existence which can possibly 
be attributed to him, and as some subsequent historians have made 
reference to it as his, there can be but little doubt about its authorship. 

Mr. R. Bellemare, who was an intimate friend of Mr. Jacques 
Viger, to whom we are indebted for the preservation of the manuscripts 
of that period, seems well disposed to adopt this theory, and Rev. 
Mr. Verreau himself does not hesitate to admit that it is a very pro- 
bable one. My friend Mr. Joseph Desrosiers, who has an inquisitive 
disposition, has not been able to add to my information on this sub- 
ject. 

I am also indebted to Hon. Mr. Marchand and Mr. Walmsley of 
St. Johns for many details of the past, which have aided me very much 
in tracing the different localities mentioned, also the situation of the 
army. The co-temporary memoirs of the time are, in many places, 
ambigious and often contradictory, and therefore the recent investiga- 
tions from reliable sources are the more valuable. Mr. Marchand has 
contributed to the columns of the Fra?ico-Canadien a short but very 
interesting article on the siege of the fort. 

I must confess that in addition to the above sources of informa- 
tion I have old family papers, dating from the time of the siege, which 
stimulated my curiosity, and contributed largely to the pleasure of 
tracing these events. Among these papers are letters addressed by 
officers of Montgomery to Colonel Dumont of Quebec, my great grand- 
father. 

When Governor General Guy Carleton decided to rebuild the 
fort of St. Johns, he also resolved to re-organize the old militia, and 
for this purpose he appointed two colonels, one for the district of 
Quebec, Colonel Dumont, and one for the district of Montreal, Colonel 
De Rouville. Neither of these would accept the position and the 
militia was not then re-organized. Our ancestors, although well dis- 
posed individually to place their services at the disposal of the King 
of England, w^ould not, however, compromise their nationality in a 
civil conflict with which they had nothing to do. 

This Colonel J. Bte. Dumont, who was a rich merchant of Que- 
bec, had his residence on the plains of Abraham, precisely where 
Montgomery encamped with his army during the siege of the city. 



—20.— 

This residence was taken possession of by the Americans and used as 
their military hospital. After the siege the Briti'^h troops set fire to 
it and destroyed it. The old Colonel himself being looked upon in a 
suspicious v/ay by the authorities, since he refused to accept a com- 
mission in the army, was imprisoned, and died shortly after his release. 
His early demise was due to the grief caused by such unjust treat- 
ment, and his family left the district of Quebec soon afterwards. 

I gather these facts from several letters to Colonel Dumont, 
among others one from Colonel Van Ness, of General Wooster'sarmy, 
under date of June 1776, one from Hon. James Livinglon dated Jan- 
uary 6th 1797, and one from Hon. E. Gerry, an ex-member of Con- 
gress, dated Cambridge, April 13th 1807. 

It was the grand son of this Colonel Dumont, Lieutenant-Colonel 
A. Montaigne Dumont, who was at Chateauguay under DeSalaberry, 
as Captain of the 2nd regiment of Vercheres, of which regiment he 
was afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel. 

This time again, at Chateauguay, the sentiment of duty was 
stronger than that of national feeling. He died leaving no heirs but 
the children of his sister who had married my grandfather at Chambly. 



— ^^■•♦••-BssJ 



FOUCHER'S JOURNAL. 



SIEGE OF THE FORTIFICA TION AT ST. JOHNS BY THE 
BOSTONIANS IN 1775. 



Sept. i8th. — The Bostonians arrived at St. Johns in tv/o sloops 
and barges, numbering about one thousand men. ISlajor Preston, 
who commanded this fort, sent on the same day about thirty men of 
the Canadian troops to bring in the cattle which was in the bush near 
St. Johns. Soon after he was informed by a Canadian that there were 
two or three hundred Bostonians on the other side of a bridge about 
half a league from St. Johns, who were raising fortifications and who 
had taken four cart loads of provisions which were on their way to 
St. Johns, and also the cattle he had sent for ; and that the bridge 
was already demolished, so that communication between St. Johns 
and La Prairie de la Magdeleine was cut off by the enemy. Imme- 
diately Major Preston ordered out one hundred men under command 
of Captain Strong, together with one hundred Canadian volunteers 
and a piece of artillery to feel the enemy. This detachment advanced 
and the Bostonians fired upon them. The fire was brisk on both sides 
and lasted about half an hour. The enemy left the battle field and 
was pursued for some distance. The Srs. Moses Plazen and Toker, 
and also Hazen's servant, who were within the enemy's line, were 
made prisoners and brought to the fort. Beaubien, Desauniers, a 
Canadian volunteer, and a soldier of the 26th regiment were shot j 
another soldier was dangerously wounded. During this action the 
artillery of the fort and of the gun boat, continued to fire for three 
hours ; the enemy kept up the fire in return; but the above mentioned 
were the only casualities on our side. 

Sept. 19th. — On the nineteenth the Sieur Monin with two Cana- 
dian volunteers were sent on a scouting expedition along the south 
side of the river, but they did not see anything. 

Sept. 20th. — On the twentieth, two of the enemy's boats were 
carried by the current past the forth on the south side of the river. A 
cannon and some musketry shots were fired at them, and on a party 
being sent out, they were secured and found to contain five barrels of 
pork, one barrel of flour, one barrel of biscuits, and one man who was 
asleep and only awoke when the shots were fired. This man gave 
the information that in the fight at the bridge on the eighteenth, seven 
of their men had been killed and seven wounded. He stated that 
their force consisted of seven hundred men in the camp, who were 
fortifying their position and erecting batteries for the purpose of 
storming the fort. He said also that they had three mortars and six 
pieces of cannon. 

Sept. 22nd. — On the twenty-second a deserter from the enemy 



—22— 

came to the fort, carrying his rifle on his back, and informed us that 
the enemy were building a battery on a big point, that their entire 
force consisted of three hundred men in the camp, five hundred block- 
ading our fortiftcatins, and two hundred spread over the country — in 
all one thousand men. He also gave the information that they were 
short of provisions, that he was the first deserter, but that before long 
there would be a good many more. Immediately after his arrival we 
kept up a cannonade on our side for over an hour. 

At four o'clock in the afternoon all the Canadian volunteers were 
sent to pull down three houses near the first fort, to prevent the 
enemy seeking shelter behind them, and while some were working at 
the buildings, others were watching in the bush to prevent surprise 
or attack. Sixty soldiers were sent to Moses Hazen's house on the 
south of the river to take his sheep for the use of the forts. Hazen's 
servant who, with his master had been taken prisoner on the eighteenth, 
was sent with the party to show where the sheep were, but he deserted 
to the Bostonians and the party came back without the sheep, no one 
being willing to point out where they were. They brought into the 
fort Hazen's farmer, his wife and their son. The two forts kept up a 
fire on the enemy during the whole time. 

Sept. 23rd. — On the twenty-third, a second Bostonian deserter 
arrived, who stated that dysentery was raging among their men and 
thinning their ranks ; that they saw no more Canadians nor Indians 
with them, that however once in a while, some one would come out 
of curiosity, who returned immediately, and that none of them would 
take arms in their favor. He stated also that Montgomery was about 
to attack our fortifications, which he thought were single, not double, 
as they were ; that several Bostonians talked of deserting and that 
M, Montgomery had given it out that Major Preston had given orders 
to hang all the deserters who made an appearance. This day a good 
many bomb-shells and cannon balls were fired at the enemy. M. 
Macka>e and several voluntreers with fifteen soldiers were posted as 
guards at the skirting of the bush, to facilitate the transfer in boats of 
the materials of several houses which had been demolished, in order 
to form a line of communication between the two' forts. During this 
time two women were seen in a canoe who apparently had some diffi- 
culty in landing at the fort. Five men having been sent in a boat to 
assist them, they proved to be two women who were living at Mr. 
Hazen's, where the Bostonians had gone and taken possession of all 
the cattle. Mr. Hazen was sent to Montreal under the charge of Che- 
valier de Lorimier, the former pledging his word of honor and giving 
a lien on all his property that he would give satisfactory reasons to 
General Carleton for having been found with the Bostonians in the 
encounter of the eighteenth. In reply to our cannon the Bostonians 
fired several volleys at the observatory boat, which returned the com- 
pliment with its twelve pounder. They also aimed two pieces of can- 
non at the schooner. The first shot carried away a spar and split a 
piece of the mast; the second shot broke its shackles and the third 
stove a hole in its waist four feet from the front. The boat imme- 



—23— 

diately withdrew to the shore ; the enemy witnessing its confusion 
shouted " hurrah " five or six times. 

Sept. 26th. — -On the twenty-sixth, a Bostonian deserter arrived at 
the fort, giving us the information tha: only six hundred men were 
left in the camp, including two companies of seventy men each from 
New York which had joined the camp two days before ; that they had 
only a few bomb-shells left, and these not of the same size as the 
mortars ; that the water was knee deep in the camp ; that the invad- 
ing force suffered great hardships, having no blankets to cover them ; 
that Montgomery had received a letter from Congress requesting him 
to make haste if he saw his way to do something, and if not to give up 
the enterprise. He assured us also that the Bostonians had suffered 
much from our bomb-shells ; that on the day before lie left, the alarm 
was so great in the camp that the whole force withdrew into the 
woods, leaving no one to take charge of the artillery during the night, 
and that in consequence the captain of artillery was taken to the guard 
room and locked up prisoner. 

Sept. 27. — On the twenty-seventh several cannon balls and bombs 
were fired at the enemy who replied with vivacity. We had a soldier 
of the 26th regiment wounded. 

Sept. 28th. — On the twenty-eighth, two more deserters came in 
who reported that Montgomery was stopping at the Big Point, that' 
the battery firing at us only contained two pieces of cannon and two 
mortars ; that there were only two cannons on each of their sloops 
and each of their floating batteries. He also said that Montgomery 
had sent seventeen boats to bring provisions from the " Grand Point" 
and a big mortar from Carillon. He gave the news that Allen, with 
a portion of his party, had been made prisoner at Long Point, near 
Montreal, by the gentlemen of the city, aad had been locked up a 
prisoner of war. The same day, the 28th, at ten o'clock six Indians 
arrived without arms, a little in liquor, who confirmed the report about 
the capture of Captain Allen with a portion of his party. 

Oct. ist. — On the first of October the enemy fired a large num- 
ber of cannon balls and bombs at the two forts. Two Indians came 
in who soon after went away. 

Oct. 2nd. — On the second October our rations were reduced to 
one-half. During the night, the noise of several boats of the enemy 
were heard, and notwithstanding that a close watch was kept, two of 
them succeeded in passing the fort without being seen. 

Oct. 4th. — On the fourth several Bostonians were noticed on the 
south side of the river near Moses Hazen's house. _ Several cannon 
shots were fired at them, to which the enemy replied in the same way. 
At about five o'clock, Mr. Monin, a distinguished officer, left the fort 
to bring in eight or ten cows which had made their appearance near 
the bush. He succeeded in bringing in six of them, in spite of the 
shots from the enemy.which he avoided by a tumbling march. The 
sieur Moquin, a volunteer, went for the two others which greatly re- 
plenished our stock of provisions. 



—24— 

Oct. 5th. — On the fifth, two cows left the enemy's camp and came 
in a straight line to join the others which had been caught. The 
same night, v/ith the consent of Major Preston, a man named Chenier 
and two Leducs left the fort to carry news to General Carle ton. 

Oct. 6th. — On the sixth nothing important occurred. 

Oct. 9th. — On the ninth of October, Mr. Mackaye with Mr. Mo- 
nin and twenty Canadian volunteers were sent as scouts towards Mr. 
Montgomery's camp to capture some prisoners. They discovered a 
party of eight enemies under shelter. A short fight followed in which 
some Bostonians were killed and one made prisoner. He reported 
that the deserters who had left our forts on the 27th September and 
on the 7th inst., were prisoners in the enemy's camp. He assured us 
there was only one thousand Bostonians in their several camps in- 
cluding the forces scattered over the country on the south side, with 
some Canadians, as well as those who were at the breast works near 
Mr. Hazen's house. During the night Major Preston sent Mr. Ri- 
cherville and the sieur Leduc to carry a letter to General Guy Carle- 
ton at Montreal and inform him of the state ailairs at the fort of St. 
Johns. 

Oct. loth. — On the tenth the enemy fired considerably and des- 
patched nineteen boats loaded with two hundred sick men together 
v/ith a Colonel to Grand Point. 

Oct. iolh-i4th. — From the tenth to the fourteenth nothing extra- 
ordinary occurred except much firing on both sides. Mr. Freeman, 
lieutenant in 7th regiment, was struck with a cannon ball in his back 
v/hich laid him dead in the middle of the yard. 

Oct. i4th-i7th. — P>om the fourteenth to the 17th, the fire con- 
tinued severe on both sides and the houses near our camp were much 
damaged. Messieurs Robertson, Rainville and Antoine Dupre left 
during the night to carry letters to General Guy Carleton. 

Oct. 20th. — On the twentieth Mr. Montgomery sent a messenger, 
accompanied by a drummer, to our fort to inform Major Preston that 
on the eighteenth of the present month the fort of Chambly had sur- 
rendered after a siege of a day and a half; the first day only one can- 
non having been fired at the fort and two the second half day, and 
that they had taken in the fort thirteen thousand two hundred pounds 
of ponder, fifty barrels of flour and the flags of the two regiments 
v.'hich were at St. Johns, without any loss of either killed or wounded 
on either side. The surrender of the fort under these circumstances 
was very extraordinary, the more especially as the fort itself had re- 
ceived no damage. The commandant of the fort of Chambly request- 
ed Major Preston to let ten boats pass in front of the forts to carry 
the garrison women and children who were made prisoners. This 
was granted on the condition that the boats would pass on the south 
side of the river. There was in the fort at Chambly when it suiren. 
dered, ten howitzers, five mortars, two four pounders and three hup. 
dred bomb-shells. It vv^as a matter of great surprise that the com. 
mandant should have surrendered without offering more resistance_ 
This day M. Lacorne, a Canadian ofiicer, died at half past four. Ra. 



—25— 

tions were brought down to half a pound of bread and a quarter pound 
of pork per man a day. 

Oct. 29th. — On the twenty-ninth of October Messieurs jMackayc 
and Monin, with twenty volunteers went out at day break towards the 
enemy's camp and captured one prisoner. He informed us that Gen- 
eral Guy Caile;on had attempted to cross over to Longueuil but had 
been repulsed, and that Mr. Montgomery, by the assistance of provi- 
sions, ammunition and artillery found in the fort at Chambly, expect- 
ed to take the fort of St. Johns in a short time. 

Nov. ist. — The fiie continued on both sides as usual, but on the 
first of November, at nine o'clock in the morning, the enemy unmask- 
ed another battery v.'hich had been concealed up to that time. This 
battery was built on the side below our forts and began a most violent 
cannonade, which lasted without any cessation until four o'clock in 
the afternoon. Eight hundred and fifty shots were fired by the enemy 
besides one hundred and twenty bombs. During this fire several of 
our men were wounded, after which 2vl. Montgomery sent a flag to 
our forts Vv^ith a man named Lacoste, a barber of Montreal, who had 
been taken prisoner in the Longueuil affair, bearing a letter to Major 
Preston, requiring him to surrender. The letter gave information of 
General Carletou's defeat, assuring Major Preston that he need not 
look for any assistance from that quarter and therefore to prevent the 
furdier effusion of blood, which a fruitless and obstinate defence would 
cause, he would recommend a surrender of the fort. Captain Stron 
returned with the flag to ask that hostilities should cease until to- 
morrow afternoon. 

Nov. 2nd. — On the second of November, Captain William of the 
artillery went to the enemy's camp with propositions of capitulation, 
and came back three hours after. With permission of Mr. Montgo- 
mery, Mr. Andre, lieutenant of the 7th regiment, went to the enemy's 
sloop accompanied by a drummer to ascertain from Sieur J. Bte. Des- 
pins, who also had been made prisoner at Longueuil, if what Lacoste 
had told Major Preston was true and the suspension of the arms was 
continued all day. In the evening Major Preston signed the capitu- 
lation with Mr. Montgomery. It was granted that some officers would 
be allowed to go to Montreal, to bring clothing for the prisoners. 
Consequently some officers of the regiment accompanied by Messieurs 
Hervieux and La Magdeleine started for that purpose. 

Nov. 3rd. — On the 3rd, at ten o'clock in the morning, the troops 
and the Canadians who were found in the fort were ordered to lay 
down their arms in presence of two companies of Bostonians, but the 
officers were allowed by General Montgomery to retain their swords. 

During the siege of St. Johns, which lasted forty-five days, there 
were only fourteen men killed or who died from their wounds, seven- 
teen or eighteen invalided and about sixty slightly wounded. 

End of Foucher's Journal. 

LUCIEN HUOT. 



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